Herkulesbrunnen

Hercules Fountain

Description

Stone statue of Herculas on the central column of a fountain.

Annotation

Heidelberg was during the War of Palatine Succession (1688-1697) captured and badly damaged. The Palatine court was then based in Dusseldorf and after the war they were initially not willing to relocate the residence to the totally devastated Heidelberg. Elector Johann Wilhelm sent instructions to Heidelberg for rebuilding the city. For the only 150 inhabitants of Heidelberg these plans were too ambitious. In this situation, the city of Heidelberg wanted to give a sign with the Herculean figure created by Heinrich Charrasky. The figure of Hercules showed that these building plans were an Herculean task for the inhabitants. Above all, there was a lack of water. The placement of the sculpture on a fountain is therefore particularly symbolic. The city of Heidelberg commissioned in 1703 the sculptor Johann Martin Laub for the statue and it was completed by 1705/06.

Laub is mentioned as sculptor by Heidelberg Marketing, Charrasky by Thomas Juelch as the sculptor of the Hercules figure.